Beer barrel



p 1936- --.J. c MULLEN 5 Q BEER BARREL Filed Oct. '4, 1935 t INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE James O. Mullen, Grantwood, N. J., assignor to Verdi Bros. Cooperage Company, North Bergen, N. J.,a corporation of New Jersey Application October 4, 1935, Serial No. 43,515

' 3 Claims. (01'. 217- 1 13) g H two outside pieces I being called cant pieces. The

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of wooden barrels with provision for a tapping bushing.

When beer is sold in kegs'to dispensers for over the counter sale, the kegs are generally provided with a metallic bushing inserted in the top of the keg to permit connection to the dispensing apparatus whereby the beer from the keg is forced up to the spigot at the bar.

It has been customary to bore the head and screw the bushing therein, the metal of the bottom of the bushing being exposed to the contents of the keg. Such exposure may affect the taste of the beer particularly if it is not clean. Any attempt to cover the metal with the usual brewers pitch is not particularly satisfactory due v,to the fact that such pitch does not adhere readily to metal, except when absolutely clean. The internal rim of the metal is difiicult to keep clean, particularly when the bushing does not reach all the way into the barrel and forms a recess.

compensate for the volume of the cooling coils so that the correct amount of beer will be in the keg. As the barrels are constructed to withstand internal pressure the reversal of the head has a tendency to weaken the structure and the large hole for the bushing causes the head to buckle upward.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a barrel capable of withstanding the internal pressures when bushed and the head is reversed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wooden beer container that will be sanitary.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a beer container that will have no metal contactable with the contents of the barrel until the contents are withdrawn.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the head of a wooden keg or barrel.

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the head of a keg or barrel.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of head inserted in keg or barrel.

In carrying out my invention, I propose to utilize the usual wooden head construction for a keg or barrel which generally consists of a plurality of pieces of wood. Generally, three, the

cant pieces I have a circular are 2 and 2' cut therein on both sides around their periphery, are 2 being greater in depth and width than are 2 so that there will be a tendency to resist inner pressures in conjunction with the sloping side ends 3., In order to remove the contents from a keg it is customary for kegs delivered to retail dispensers to provide a metal bushing 4 which is inserted in a hole bored through the head. The bushing may be three inches at the top and two and one-half inches at the base and upon the boring of the hole the chip generally falls into the keg and must be removed by hand generally necessitating the breaking up of the chip in order to withdraw same from the narrowed opening. The bottom of bushing 4 is either flush with the bottom of the head or does not reach as far as the bottom surface. The bottom of bushing 4 is therefore exposed to the contents of keg. Initially, it is pitched but upon refilling it is difiicult to clean and to repitch. If the metal is not covered it becomes rusted, corroded, and sometimes foul and thereby affects the quality of the beer.

In my invention, I propose to bore approximately two-thirds of the head, the necessary holes 5 of the required diameter to receive the usual tap bushing 4 and then for the balance of the one-third of the head to provide a chamfered or tapered opening 6 that covers the bottom of bushing 4. By chamfering opening 6, provision is made for the expansion of the usual cork 1. In addition, a larger frictional surface is provided for the sides of the cork so that there is less likelihood of the cork I from being pushed out of bushing 4. In the usual form of cylindrical hole clear-through the head the cork l is retained by the sharp rim and bottom of bushing 4. The sharp edge has a tendency to break the cork I. Attempts have been made to overcome this tendency by providing lugs at the bottom of bushing 4 in order to break the sharp rim and to retain the cork 1 within bushing 4. But such lugs have not entirely overcome the difliculty and merely provide additional metal and more trouble in keeping the base of bushing 4 clean. In most cases, bushing 4 is inserted in one of the cant pieces, but for certain types of dispensing installation it must be inserted centrally of the head as shown in the figures. The insertion of the bushing centrally has a tendency to weaken the head, particularly where the head has been reversed and there is a tendency to buckle outward.

With my invention, a relatively smaller hole is made through one-third of the thickness only of the head. That is, a hole only the diameter of the dispensing hole of the bushing and not the external diameter of the bushing. The cooling coils are pitched with brewers pitch.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a container wherein metal is not exposed to the contents of the container, wherein the entire inner surface may be readily pitched and kept clean and one wherein in the structural strength of a wood container is not as materially lessened" by the insertion of the metallic tap bushing. v Different types of bushings may be utilized and the location in the head may be varied and still fall within the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A walled container comprising, a wall ha-vthe bore of larger diameter being on the outside of the container and the bore of smaller diameter being on the inside of the container, the wall of the container being thereby extended to form a flange having a flat top surface surrounding the opening of smaller diameter and underlying a portion of the bore of larger diameter, a bushing in the bore of larger diameter having a flat bottom surface substantially coextensive with the top surface of said flange, snugly fitted thereto and completely shielded thereby. I 3. A beer keg head having communicating bores of different diameter, the bore of larger diameter being on the outside portion of the beer keg head and the bore of the smaller diameter being on the inside portion of the head, an inside portion of the head being thereby extended to form a flange having a flat top surface surrounding the opening of smaller diameter and underlying the bore of larger diameter, a bushing having a flat bottom surface adapted to be tightly pressed against the flat surface of the flange in the bore of larger diameter with its lower end completely shielded by the flange, the bushing having an axial opening registering with the bore of smaller diameter.

' JAMES C. MULLEN. 

